I have received word this morning from a knowledgeable source that the 164-foot Aquos motoryacht StarFish is indeed heavily damaged, as initial reports suggested yesterday in the wake of a fire at McMullen and Wing shipyard in New Zealand. I have been told that the only part of the yacht unscathed by the fire is the engineroom, which, with sad irony, demonstrates that the space was well built to contain an engineroom fire had one ever occurred on the water.

Late yesterday, Aquos Yachts Chairman Richard Beattie released the following statement about the fire that damaged the $49.5-million StarFish:

"The entire Aquos Yachts team is shocked and horrified by the fire on board StarFish. We are also cognizant of the potentially devastating consequences of the fire for McMullen & Wing and its craftsmen. Our hearts go out to the shipyard workers and to the Porter family. While we are still in shock from the fire we are also moving forward quickly to determine the full extent of the damage, which we believe to be extensive. It is a process that we are informed might take several weeks, and we are committed to concluding this investigation as quickly as possible. It is simply too soon yet to advance any prediction of whether our extraordinary project is salvageable.

"While the fire, coming less than a year from the planned launch of StarFish, is a terrible setback both for Aquos Yachts and the shipyard, we remain committed to our core mission of designing and building the finest luxury expedition yachts in the world for discerning yacht owners wishing to explore the world in the highest levels of comfort and security. Big Fish, which has cruised 60,000 nautical miles since her launch two years ago, and which has proved herself among the industry's most successful charter yachts, remains as our flagship and living proof of the Aquos Yachts vision and philosophy."

Big Fish will remain available for charter through YCO.

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